


Iridescent into Blue (I Like You)

by moonjjh



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - College/University, Drama & Romance, Explicit Language, Getting Together, M/M, Mentions of Lee Donghyuk/MoonTaeil, Mermaids/Siren au, Some crying, Underage Drinking, Unrequited Love, temporary memory loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-27
Updated: 2018-06-27
Packaged: 2019-05-29 12:56:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,696
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15073622
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonjjh/pseuds/moonjjh
Summary: Donghyuk swears he doesn't hate parties, but sometimes he does.After an intense game of truth or dare, Donghyuk sets off to the beach to clear his mind. He doesn't expect to see a creature (human?) come out of the water and start conversation with him, but the boy does. Too bad Donghyuk remembers nothing of it when he wakes up in his bed the next morning, nothing but a soft breath and the iridescent shine of scales at the back of his eyelids.





	Iridescent into Blue (I Like You)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [kuntens](https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuntens/gifts).



> first i want to say that i'm sorry if i didn't follow the prompt to a T! once i saw the idea i just kinda rolled with it, and this us what i turned out with! so sorry if it wasn't what you had in mind, but i hope you still enjoy!
> 
> just a disclaimer: donghyuk and jeno are both 19.

donghyuk swears he doesn’t hate parties.  
  
  
  
he loves them, in fact. the dressing up nice, with leather and jewels and cologne, to make himself look his best. it was a time that no one would question it at all, or look at him weirdly when he would walk by and the potent smell of axe would waft from his body and into their noses. everyone tried to get laid at parties, everyone wore cologne or perfume or some fragrance to smell addictive. it was key for a party, to drench yourself in the chemical smell of whatever that burned your nose if you got too close, but it was necessary to gain any attention from hot party-goers before you inevitably drunkenly spill beer on your clothes or vomit on yourself. donghyuk has had both happen to him.  
  
  
  
parties are exciting, is what donghyuk tells himself. new released pop music gets played in loud but small speakers and donghyuk can sing out loud without getting heard, because everyone is singing simultaneously and although it always sounds horrible, it’s almost sentimental that everyone can come together and sing ariana grande together. no tears left to cry on repeat because ten refuses to listen to any other song until it gets old. and at the same time, there are bodies lining from the entrance of who’s ever house it is, red solo cups in hands carrying drinks that donghyuk admittedly does sip on. bodies in the living room-made-dance floor, dozens so that there isn’t much room left to breathe, not much room to do anything but dance with or even on the person closest to you.  
  
  
  
it’s donghyuk’s favorite part, the dancing, because it’s ever-changing. from fast songs and quick paced totally-not-grinding to a slow song with piano, and donghyuk is taken, far far away to a land where he is being taken care of and loved as soft as the strangers hand on his waist. he’s brought to the dream of soft eyes and a laugh, coming from the soft pink lips of a mouth on a chiseled face. donghyuk thinks it’s okay to pretend, okay to dream, because at parties donghyuk can get away from whatever is outside the door. can get away from his family problems and school and his loneliness and all but drown himself in the singing and the bodies and the booze and a strangers hand on his waist as a slow song plays and plays and plays.  
  
  
  
what donghyuk does hate about parties are the games.  
  
  
  
it’s ten who suggests it, to which everyone close enough to the short boy to hear him responds to. hell, it’s ten’s party, and even though donghyuk hates party games, he still ends up pulling himself out of the embrace of a stranger and stalking his way to the dining room of ten’s large house, taking a seat. the stranger, who donghyuk thinks to be a junior named woojin, doesn’t register that he’s gone, because right after donghyuk leaves, a small, petite girl with strawberry blonde hair spins into his arms. from this angle, peeking from behind the wall that closes off the dining room, the makeshift dance floor almost looks like a game.  
  
  
  
the empty seats of the eight-seater table--it’s a mix of granite and glass, and donghyuk really hates how impossibly rich ten is at the age of 21--quickly get taken, chairs sliding softly against the polished hardwood floors and back again. thankfully, the ones seated are actually donghyuk’s friends, and not random people that ten definitely did not invite just looking for a good time. last time that happened the police had to be involved, but the scariest thing about the situation was trying to hide all the alcohol before the police could show up. somehow, multiple kegs of whatever the hell it was and over a dozen bottles of whiskey and vodka were successfully hid in ten’s room. the boy still complained of his carpet smelling like cheap beer.  
  
  
  
“so,” taeyong starts up after taking a swig of his beer, putting the bottle down on the table and adjusting a giggling ten who’s haphazardly sitting in his lap. “what are we playing?”  
  
  
  
“seven minutes in heaven!” yukhei practically shouts, launching up from his chair besides jeno. no one comments on how eager he was to suggest the game, nor that the whole time he had his eyes on an oblivious jungwoo. both boys were too dense to realize their feelings for each other.  
  
  
  
“we are not playing that wretched game,” ten argues, finally comfortably (?) seated on taeyong’s lap. “last time we did, jaehyun ended up with mono from that one girl.”  
  
  
  
jaehyun rolls his eyes, but his “i was drunk ” gets faded out by jeno’s “let’s play truth or dare.”  
  
  
  
somehow, for some reason, everyone agrees. except donghyuk, of course, because truth or dare is literally the worst game one could possibly play with friends that have the goal of ruining donghyuk’s life. his protests are futile, because no one fucking cares that donghyuk hates the game, or that the last time a group of friends played truth or dare they ended up killing each other (donghyuk refused to believe that the movie wasn’t based on some form of truth.)  
  
  
  
“doyoung, truth or dare?”  
  
  
  
it goes clockwise around the table, starting from doyoung to jaehyun and so forth, until everyone has asked and everyone has answered or done some stupid thing as a dare. doyoung confesses the crush he had on jaehyun their freshman year, yukhei actually gets to make-out with jungwoo somehow (both of them disappear after that, and once again the rest of the group does not comment), jeno is forced to eat a spoonful of actual bath salts from ten’s bathroom, and taeyong chugs down two beers and too many shots of vodka without anyone telling him to. by the time they get to donghyuk, the boy is tired of it all and really just wants to go home.  
  
  
  
“donghyukie,” jaehyun sings. “truth or dare?”  
  
  
  
donghyuk has seen what happen to people when the pick dare, and donghyuk is too tired and tipsy to drink two year old ranch dressing from ten’s fridge. “truth, i guess.” he answers, only rethinking his decision when ten smiles maniacally.  
  
  
  
“got any crushes you would like to tell us about?”  
  
  
  
what is he, five? they weren’t in grade school anymore, far from it, yet ten still used the same lingo. no one has crushes anymore, let alone donghyuk, who’s sure everyone and their mothers were making it a plan to shove whatever they could get out if him in his face.  
  
  
  
“nope.” donghyuk pops the ‘p’. “unless you mean me and my ultimately good looks, then no crushes here.”  
  
  
  
ten raises his eyebrows, challenging. “you sure? not even a certain moon taeil?”  
  
  
  
the room goes quiet. the air around them gets thick with the tension that's oozing out of nowhere in waves, and everyone is still. it’s only the cutting sounds of the ceiling fan and doyoung’s occasional cough that interrupts the silence, but otherwise, it’s tense. the party in the background and the loud music is forgotten, the person currently vomiting up their intestines in ten’s kitchen sink is ignored. donghyuk doesn’t even notice the fact that his phone is a constant vibrating mess inside the pocket of his jeans, because he keeps thinking.  
  
  
  
how did he know how did he know how did he know  
  
  
  
the only person donghyuk ever told about his crush, the like--love he had for taeil was renjun, and the boy isn’t even here right now. he was enjoying his summer in china with his family, away from the drama and annoyance that was college with his newfound friends.  
  
  
  
so yeah, donghyuk is confused. and scared, because no one should know about that. he doesn’t talk about it for a reason.  
  
  
  
“ who told you?” he knows his voice probably doesn’t sound the most welcoming, because ten freezes--everyone does--and he looks on the verge of apologizing. donghyuk doesn’t want him to. “ who?”  
  
  
  
“donghyuk-” ten tries to start, but donghyuk cuts him off. he doesn’t want explanations, or excuses, or sympathy. donghyuk wants to know who the hell eavesdropped or found out about donghyuk’s liking for taeil and couldn’t keep their mouth shut.  
  
  
  
“was it renjun?” but ten immediately shakes his head no, and donghyuk is relieved just a bit. “so who?”  
  
  
  
ten sighs, standing up from his seat on taeyong’s lap so the skinny boy could stumble to his feet and to the bathroom, presumably to throw up. ten sits back down, looking shorter now. donghyuk can look at him in the eye. “taeil...told me. h-he didn’t know for sure, i mean i don’t think he did. he just said some stuff, i didn’t take them seriously--donghyuk?”  
  
  
  
donghyuk is crying.  
  
  
  
just a little bit, but he is. he can feel the wet slide of tears rolling down his cheeks and stopping at his chin, ready to drop onto the table. he doesn’t mean to cry, he really doesn’t, but he’s drunk, tipsy, a little bit less than wasted and emotions are hard to control. he wishes he was mad, insead of this. wishes he could laugh it off in anger and angrily text taeil a harsh ‘fuck you’ later. wishes he could do something badass and horribly illegal like trash taeil’s place, teepee it or throw a rock through the windows.  
  
  
  
but instead, he cries, because he’s stupid. he’d actually liked taeil, as crazy as it sounds. liked a boy--a man--who was so many years older than him, who had graduated college a year ago. he didn’t expect taeil to like him back, the older man didn’t , but he also didn’t expect taeil to laugh at him. to say all the harsh things he’d said to donghyuk about love and about being young. ‘ you don’t know anything,’ taeil had said. ‘ you’re just a child.’  
  
  
  
donghyuk really didn’t expect him to tell ten about everything that had went down.  
  
  
  
“donghyuk? donghyukie i’m sorry, so sorry, please don’t cry. i didn’t mean to make you so upset, i didn’t know it hurt you so bad.”  
  
  
  
he wants to tell him that he’s not hurt. that he’ll get over it in no time, but the rest of the boys at the table are looking at him with sad eyes full of pity. even taeyong--who frankly doesn’t know half the shit that is going on--is back from the bathroom and is staring at him with eyes full of worry for his tears. donghyuk hates it.  
  
  
  
“i have to go.”  
  
  
  
“donghyuk-”  
  
  
  
donghyuk stands up quickly, making a move to wipe his eyes and will the tears to stop coming. it works temporarily, and he can finally see how to get out of the crowd of bodies to the front door. he’s at the door when he turns around, scanning the crowd for anyone he knows, anyone that wants to stop him from walking out into the cool heat of the summer night.  
  
  
  
no one does. donghyuk is both thankful and devastated.  
  
\--  
  
after a walk that was honestly way too long in donghyuk's opinion--jeno had drove him to the party, and even if he didn't storm out in the middle of their stupid game of truth or dare, he still would have to walk home due to jeno's lifelong and unfulfilled goal of chatting up renjun (donghyuk is sure that it will never happen though, jeno had always been way too cowardly)--he ends up at the beach a few miles from ten's home. it's cold really, donghyuk was stupid enough to forget his jacket in his haste to get out of the cramped house, and entirely empty, which is surprising. donghyuk guesses that no one really has uses for the beach at 11:02 at night, and is grateful for the big difference between ten's stupid, sweaty cramped house and the chilly lonesome of the empty beach. for once, donghyuk extremely appreciates the quiet.  
  
the beach looks extra beautiful at this time of night, when the sun is gone and the moon is peaking down through the array of clouds, casting a soft glow on the waves as they crash against the rocks and the sand and the wooden pegs of the dock. it's calming, and donghyuk oh so needs this, and he makes no extra thought as he tries to get comfortable. he could easily fall asleep here, to the sounds of the crashing waves and the quiet and the forgetting of what happened at the party. it could be easy, donghyuk thinks as he toes of his shoes and slides his socks off with his thumbs, digging his toes into the wet sand. in fact, he shouldn't even care in the slightest about what happened, because ten didn't mean what he said and taeil himself is the biggest asshole to ever exist. he's not fazed, and he is set on this as he wraps his arms around his knees and rests his head in between them. donghyuk is, well, good. he feels good now, content, sure that he shouldn't worry about people that don't worry for him. as a matter of fact, donghyuk thinks he should march right back up to that party and-  
  
"you're gonna get sand between your toes, y'know."  
  
  
  
what the fuck.  
  
donghyuk gets whiplash with how fast he turns his head in looks for someone, anyone, something. he checks behind him, to his sides, because had someone really followed him? but there's absolutely no one there, he's surrounded by emptiness like he thought, and the voice had been one that donghyuk had never heard before.  
  
"i'm down here," the voice says something again and donghyuk’s gaze is taken slowly to the water lapping at his feet, a few feet away to where the water branches of into something deeper, to lock gazes with eyes. with a boy, in the water, which looks to be completely naked from the waist up from what donghyuk can see. he's smiling shyly, his head cocked to the side a bit and eyes filled with wonder. while this is totally weird and unexpected, the boy is strangely cute.  
  
"what the fuck are you doing in the water, dumbass? are you trying to freeze your testes off?"  
  
the boy doesn't respond, and looks utterly undisturbed by donghyuk's harsh language (unlike many others, donghyuk has had too many experiences.) instead, he swims as close as he can to donghyuk without actually revealing anything below his navel, and then asks, "what are testes?'  
  
donghyuk has never truly laughed as much as he had right then. it takes him a while to recover, too, and when he does his eyes are misty with tears of mirth and he has a slight pain in his jaw. the boy in the water looks amused, but confused nonetheless. "i'm serious," he starts again once donghyuk comes to. "i don't know what those are, how do i 'freeze them off?'  
  
donghyuk doesn't know what the kid is playing at, but he guesses that maybe it's one of those super obedient preppy kids who had never misspoken in all their lives, one that maybe wanted the slightest bit of rebellion and thought freezing themselves in the ocean would do. donghyuk doesn't know and ends up not caring much either way, but goes to explain anyways. "testes are testicles. y'know, your balls? the ones in your underwear?"  
  
the boy, if he can, looks even more confused, but doesn't say anything further about information on parts of southern regions. he does, however, beckon donghyuk over with a slow hand, slim fingers glistening and dripping with water. they are strangely translucent and glittery, but donghyuk doesn't delve so much into it, doesn't see how his fingers are plump and not at all wrinkled or prunish. he does get closer to the boy though, because he's funny, and he's taking donghyuk’s mind off the fiasco that had taken place at the party. it's almost too easy to ignore the water flooding through his jeans and the waves pushing against his feet, easy to come closer to the boy until he's a few feet from face to face.  
  
well, easy until donghyuk looks down and catches sight of something large glittering blue in the dark water, highlighted by the moonlight. the boy catches his gaze but says nothing, just lifts himself so donghyuk can see the ending of the boys torso connecting with the shiny surface of--of a tail. a real life, sparkly and semi-translucent, mermaid tail. then he reaches a toned arm out and his hand (with very nice fingers, donghyuk does _Not_ note) to shake. despite the voice in the back of his head telling him to run and never ever look back, donghyuk breaks from his paralyzed like slump to shake the boys damn hand.  
  
"i'm mark," the boy--mermaid, donghyuk guesses--let's his hand linger slightly in donghyuk's before he retracts it, a small smile on his face. "you're donghyuk." he finishes.  
  
donghyuk mind goes blank. 'i'm going fucking crazy' he thinks, because he had not once gave the boy his name. had he said it out loud like a buffoon accidently? or was he so forgetful that he hadn't remembered that he'd given mark his name?  
  
mark seems to take notice of his mental panic and somehow takes to increasing it. "you're not crazy, donghyuk, or forgetful."  
  
maybe, somehow, this was all coming from a certain person in the sky who happened to decide that it was donghyuk's time. but instead of a normal, slow death of old age or from falling of a cliff in a drunken stupor,  
(donghyuk refuses to admit that's the last on his bucket list) the oh so tragic man that donghyuk had coincidentally never believed in decided that making him go literally mental would be the best way to put him down. donghyuk can actually see it now, standing at the entrance of hell--he already knew that, even though he'd always considered himself angel, he was far too deviant and soil-mouthed to ever end up in heaven (plus all the angels were probably pricks)--with satan or hades or whoever, glaring at him down with three simple words: sucks to suck.  
  
"i'm going crazy, aren't i?"  
  
mark shakes his head. "no, but that would probably be simpler, wouldn't it?"  
  
-  
  
it's only after forty-five minutes of long conversation consisting of confused faces, absolute shock, and the lingering presence in donghyuk's mind telling me ' _yes, you are going crazy_ ' that donghyuk gets answers. he's got a quarter of his body in the cold, salty water foaming up against the shore, his whole outfit consisting of too tight black jeans and a semi-off the shoulder shirt soaking wet. mark is in a little bit deeper, but he's out enough where donghyuk can see the whole expanse of his lithe back, from the dip of his spine and down until the curve of his back forms into glistening scales, pale blue into something darker and more mysterious, until it blends down into a marvelous teal to end pale again. donghyuk's long gotten over the shock factor, and is now just enamored by the thought of mark: a mermaid--though mark prefers mer _man_ \--that came from the depths of the ocean because they were really all too curious. not to mention that mark is also the dorkiest person that donghyuk has ever really had the pleasure of meeting, with his squeaky laugh and a personality all too bright at nearing one in the morning.  
  
not to mention that he also reads minds, but donghyuk hasn't quite gotten...used to that yet. if mark knows, he says nothing.  
  
they are in silence for a while, flushes still on both their cheeks from literally laughing their asses off moments beforehand (donghyuk had vaguely wondered if mark even _had_ an ass, but had quickly shut the mermaid down when he tried to explain) over something as trivial as donuts. while donghyuk completely hated them, mark had never tried one, and donghyuk had successfully made the whomst he learned older boy hate the pastry by arguing that in reality, they were just fried cakes. mark had never tried a cake either, but had said that he'd read about them before in a human cookbook that had somehow floated down from shore and said that yes, donuts really did look gross.  
  
now though, with their high wearing off, donghyuk feels like he could doze off. not really, of course, it would be downright stupid to sleep almost in the middle of the ocean here, mermaid friend to supervise or not. but it's this strange feeling of contentment that floods through his veins like a drug, and it makes him positively smiley and sleepy. mark just watches him, his eyes the same light color as the base of his tail, and smiles faintly, before asking a question that donghyuk isn't totally ready to answer.  
  
"what happened tonight? with you?"  
  
donghyuk looks up, his brown eyes meeting mark's sparkling blue. he knows exactly what mark means, and mark knows that, but maybe the boy will let him act clueless for a little while. "what do you mean?"  
  
rolling his eyes (he'd read about it in a book, and after watching donghyuk do it so many times he'd finally gotten the hang of it) mark tried to put on the most supportive smile he could. "at your party? not that i couldn't just find out myself, but...that seems like prying. plus, i've never seen you before, at least at this time, because if i had i'd be sure to remember you."  
  
donghyuk tries not to react to the last part of mark's statement so much, willing down the light blush creeping to his tan cheeks and thinking solely of the party. he remembers what happened, but looking back at it, he doesn't totally know why he'd gotten so angry in the first place. it was a sensitive topic, for sure, but now he just feels bad. for blowing up at ten about it no matter what his intentions were, for leaving the party so early without giving a flying fuck about jeno, for still caring about taeil and the shit he said months ago.  
  
"if you don't want to tell me," mark places a hand on donghyuk's thigh, and if his pants could get any wetter with the silky skin on mark's hand, they would. "you don't have to."  
  
"i want to." donghyuk says quickly, because he's never really spoke to anyone about it before. not jeno, who was there for him in their shared dorm the day it happened, letting donghyuk cry into his arms and stain his favorite sweatshirt. not taeyong, who would've been a strong pillar of emotional support in helping donghyuk get over taeil. not even taeil, who donghyuk is 100% sure would've taken back each and every word he'd said had he realised how hurt donghyuk was. he’d spoken to renjun about it, briefly, but the would was still so new and fresh back then that donghyuk could barely get a word out.   
  
but mark, donghyuk knows, feels safe. he's unknown, and donghyuk relishes in the fact that mark doesn't know him, not personally. he won't judge him for all the mistakes he's made, won't push him down with things he's said or done in the past. and mark, as he is now, only knows the donghyuk that he is with, at this very moment. not the donghyuk that spent a whole day in juvie for underaged drinking and crashing his mom's car into a tree before getting bailed out the next day. not the donghyuk that kissed renjun to make jeno actually start to do something about his feelings for the older boy. not the donghyuk that was literally the one to poor beer all over ten’s carpet and bed in an angry, drunken stupor that he barely remembers.  
  
and even if he does know, even if he's reading donghyuk's mind right now and seeing all of this, he isn't leaving. to donghyuk, that means a lot, almost the world.  
  
so he tells him.  
  
"i met this guy when i was younger," donghyuk starts off, his tone grim as he traces nonsense words in the wet sand with his finger before they get washed away. "i was in my first year of highschool and he was a senior, and like, i liked him, i guess. he was cool, and he was in the choir and i was in the choir, and he taught me a lot of stuff about singing, and that's how it started. after helping me with vocal warm-ups we would go out to eat after school, with friends or without, until we started to do more. he would help me with my math homework and we would go to sports game together and just...hang out? then i started liking him, which was literally the worst thing i've ever come to think of doing.  
  
"i didn't tell him for a while. he wasn't dating anyone, but he had his eyes set on someone for a while and he looked at me like i was four years old so--of course that would never work. i thought i would stop liking him, eventually, but i'm stupid and that didn't happen. then, the day before he graduated, i told him, and he told me that i was too young."  
  
mark blinked. "but that's not the whole story."  
  
donghyuk hummed. "it's not. but i'm tired."  
  
then the silence was there again, a cold weight pressing down on donghyuk's shoulders. he didn't completely hate it, but the air felt uncomfortable. donghyuk was always talking, but the minute he wants quiet, this? or was the feeling there all the time and donghyuk was always too preoccupied to notice it?  
  
"we got accepted to different colleges," donghyuk reluctantly starts again, rolling eyes and tugging the small sign of a grin off his face at how mark's eyes lit up. "we didn't talk much after, but i still tried, y'know? tried calling, texting, whatever i could to make him see that i was still there. it was more onesided than anything, and i guess i was too blind to see it at the time. then, one day, i came up with the dumbest idea ever that i thought was so perfect some months back. i'd ask my friend taeyong whenever taeil had his next free day, and i'd surprise him at his dorm. i was excited to see him, because ever since he graduated we barely kept in touch, and when i graduated i thought that maybe it was finally time. so the day comes, and i end up sitting outside his dorm room like a complete fool until his roommate, some kid named kun, lets me in to wait and then leaves. i don't really remember much what happened in between, but i guess i'd fallen asleep on the couch because i woke up to taeil yelling at me.  
  
"like, full blown yelling, he had this giant vein peaking out the side of his neck. i didn't know what i did wrong, and i just started...screaming too. telling him how long i was waiting, asking him why he never answered my calls, i told him i was in love with him, mark. not even knowing of the other guy in the room, taeil's boyfriend, and then he just blows up. starts calling me a child, told me i knew nothing about love. hell, he started _laughing_ at me, and that's when i left. i thought i was over it, or atleast getting over it, but now it's back again and i can't forget it." 

 

"then don't." mark says simply. "it's a life lesson, an experience, you shouldn't forget it." his tail flicks lazily in the water, looking almost transparent as his body shifts. "i've never been in love, but i wouldn't want to forget my first love, bad or good. or the first person i like, either, i would want to remember."

 

when mark is looking at him those eyes, eyes that look like they truly hold the world and more, donghyuk chooses to take his words to heart. to learn from the experience, whatever he can get from it. just because his first love was a bad experience doesn't mean that he can never love again, just that the process might be a little rockier than he expected. and maybe that's okay, because looking at jeno and renjun and jungwoo and yukhei, that's how it should be. 

 

mark chuckles1 from his place besides him, and his teeth are pearly white and curved at the edges. "now that's the right mindset."

 

it's nearing two a.m. now, but donghyuk couldn't care less. he was here, by the ocean, becoming one with the ocean, with a boy from the ocean. it seemed like a dream, a nice one, because donghyuk feels light. a weight has literally been taken off his chest, he can breathe in deeper now, he can feel his heart beating, his blood warm and running through his veins, and he can't stop looking at mark. the boy is oddly pretty, now that donghyuk's head is clear. he's got soft looking brown hair that contrasts with the pale of his skin, with high eyebrows framing his face to match. wide eyes with irises of brilliant blue and thin lips plump and pink and a jawline that could potentially battle taeyongs with some training.

 

“you’re staring,” mark says in a whisper. he’s staring back, eyes unblinking, moving down to rest his gaze on donghyuk’s lips. 

 

“i am,” donghyuk says. “but so are you.” and he watches as a soft smile blooms on marks face. “this may sound weird, but-” 

 

“yes.” mark interrupts him quickly, surging forward and connecting their lips together. it's the softest kiss donghyuk has ever had, mark’s lips are moist and his hand settling against donghyuk’s waist through his shirt feels cold and comforting. they stay like that for what seems like hours, softly moving their lips to the shape of the others as the tide draws in closer and closer. when they disconnect there's a thing string of saliva that falls, but neither are concerned about it as they gaze into each others eyes. 

 

“i’m  _ really  _ tired,” donghyuk says. he’s running his hand down the wet scales of mark’s tail. the alcohol is finally fully out of his system, and now he’s just drowsy, immune to the cold as he lays with mark in the deeper parts or the shore. its a bad idea, but it feels good, natural, way better than any feelings donghyuk has ever had for taeil felt. how would it feel to stay like this forever? 

 

mark sighs softly into his ear, warm breath contrasting the the soft trail of goosebumps along the youngers ear. “go to sleep, donghyuk,” he says, grasping donghyuk’s soft hand in his wet one. “i’ll be here.”

 

donghyuk doesn’t know what it is, whether it's the light baritone of mark’s voice or the warmth of his hand in his, the sound of the waves, or the pale moonlight shining down on mark’s scales. 

 

but whatever it is, it makes donghyuk close his eyes and drift away.

 

\--

 

donghyuk wakes up to jeno yelling at him. 

 

“wake up! wake up, donghyuk, we’re going to be  _ late.” _

 

the boy is practically on top of him, his breath thankfully smelling like spearmint and his aftershave almost overbearing. donghyuk is too tired to shove him off, more confused really. he doesn’t know the time, or what day it is, or really anything of what happened yesterday. 

 

“what time is it?” he asks jeno, and the boy lets out the most exasperated sigh donghyuk has ever heard. “9:38, but does it  _ matter?  _ if you don’t get up in 2 minutes we’ll be late to economics and frankly, last time we were late mr. kwon had a stick so far up his ass he kicked us out.  _ get. up.”  _

 

“fine, fine,” donghyuk finally pushes jeno off the bed, watching him yelp slightly and topple to the floor. his phone is sitting on his bedside table, a lingering crack in the screen from a while ago, but as donghyuk reaches for it and presses home it stays black. “what the fuck is up with my phone?” 

 

jeno shrugs from his seat on the floor. “when i came back to the dorm you were already sleeping, and your phone was soaking wet in your pocket. what, did you go for a swim or something last night?” 

 

donghyuk...doesn’t remember. 

 

he remembers the party, and truth or dare, and ten, and taeil, and walking to the beach. then the rest is blurry and cloudy, muffled voices, and the faint flash of an iridescent shine at the back of his eyelids. it makes donghyuk's head ache. 

 

“well, i guess it doesn’t matter now. just, go shower and get dressed. i’ll go stall mr. kwon, i guess.” and with that, jeno exits the room, closing the door behind him. all donghyuk can do is sit there at the edge of his bed, struggling to grip onto any of the things flashing in his mind. why couldn’t he remember? 

 

after leaving his dorm room to the locker rooms for a shower, donghyuk can’t help but feel the least bit irritated. he’s still in his clothes from yesterday, and they’re scratchy with dried sea salt and smell putrid. he doesn’t know what the hell he was doing in the water at that time of night, and he frowns to himself as he sheds the clothes from his body and submerges himself under the shower hose. it’s late enough as it is the time he’d gotten to the showers, so it’s no surprise that all that’s left is freezing cold water. though the moment he flinches under the tap, his head pounds, and a soft gasp emerges from his lips as a memory from last night breaks through. 

 

_ ‘what the fuck are you doing in the water, dumbass? are you trying to freeze your testes off?’ _

 

who the fuck was he even talking to? all donghyuk remembers is going to an empty beach, and now, this. his heart is racing without any indication of why, and he tries to watch the swirl of water down the drain to calm himself. it doesn’t help though, he just sees the nubs of his toes and a distant voice in the back of his head, “ _ you’re going to get sand between your toes, y’know.”  _

 

donghyuk shuts off the water quickly after, getting out and drying himself off with a towel and getting dressed as fast as his body will allow him. his hands are still so very prunish when he gets back to the dorms, and in his mind vaguely flashes to plump, veiny and wet hands, beckoning him in. 

 

donghyuk shakes his head. he was most likely on drugs last night. 

 

he does his hair and makeup graciously even without a mirror, brushing his wet hair back with his fingers and hoping it’ll dry by noon. he leaves his phone on the table, now useless, and struggles to put on his shoes as he wonders why he can’t remember the person he was apparently talking to last night. 

 

he decides to shrug it off for now and hope that mr.kwon had his morning coffee today. 

 

\--

 

“dude, what’s up? you’ve been acting wonky all morning?” 

 

“it’s because of me, right? i’m sorry for what happened yesterday, hyukie.”

 

“what even happened yesterday?” 

 

donghyuk has been trying to avoid these questions  _ all  _ day. but now, when all their classes are over and done with, they sit at the resident cafe in their usual spot, a two bench booth in the back of the space next to the last window. donghyuk sits in the inside, leaning his head against the reflective glass and the others chat around him. ten is next to him, borderline breathing down donghyuk’s neck with the amount of ‘sorry’s’ and ‘i didn’t mean to’s’ he’s said to him today, no matter how many times that donghyuk has told him that it wasn’t his fault, and that he forgives him. even then ten had still insisted to pay for donghyuk’s drink, a chai macchiato with two extra pumps of cream, and even the donut that's sitting across from him, untouched. the moment donghyuk had looked at it, his head practically exploded with pain, and the memories of yesterday had drowned out the voices of his friends around him. all he had heard and saw was the wet, skin tight material of his jeans and two laughs; his and a boy that sounded of pure joy. 

 

“i’m fine, for the  _ hundredth  _ time,” donghyuk grits out, lifting his head from the window to glare at jeno and yukhei. he doesn’t even want to look to his side, because taeyong is there too and he and ten are most likely making out from the sounds of it. donghyuk wants to throw his blueberry frosted donut at them, but that would really just be wasteful. “whatever happened last night, i’m still here, right?”

 

jeno scoffs, his own drink in hand. “you literally  _ ditched  _ us last night, hyuk. and then when i come home you’re soaking wet and asleep in your bed. i mean, isn’t that weird?” 

 

“i was  _ drunk _ ,” donghyuk stresses. “taeyong will literally do the same thing and no one would blink an eye.”

 

“that’s because taeyong would never go down to the beach when he’s drunk,” yukhei points out. “if he was ever found asleep in his bed with wet clothes that’s either because he took a bath without undressing or just threw up.” 

 

ten nods in agreement with jeno while taeyong frowns. “i’m not  _ that  _ bad when i’m drunk, am i?” 

 

the rest of the group collectively sip their drinks and avoid eye contact, donghyuk included. when the point finally gets across, taeyong says a small “ _ fuck you”  _ with a pout that gets kissed away quickly by ten. and then a flash of pink lips pass through donghyuks mind. 

 

“ _ this might sound weird, but- _

 

_ “yes.” _

 

_ and then warm lips are pressed against his, hot breaths mingling, and donghyuk breaks his gaze with azure eyes to close his own and fall in deep into the boy in front of him. _

 

donghyuk’s lips tingle in remembrance, and he swallows down the feeling of longing creeping up his throat. if the boy was important, he’d remember him, right?

 

“see, look!” jeno shouts, and donghyuk wants to thumb him across the head, many, many times. “you’re in your thoughts right now!” 

 

donghyuk creases an eyebrow. “what, i can’t think?” jeno rolls his eyes, and donghyuk kinda hopes they get lost somewhere in the back of his skull. 

 

“look, donghyuk says he’s fine, so we should trust what he says,” taeyong finally says something, and because its taeyong, everyone finally listens. “how about we all get together tonight? not a big rager like yesterday, but more like a house party, just friends. and who knows, maybe donghyuk will meet someone there.”

 

but donghyuk doesn’t want to meet anyone there. doesn’t want to meet anyone new, period. he’s already met someone, someone he can’t even  _ remember.  _ why can’t he remember, why? donghyuk is literally losing his mind. 

 

deep in his thoughts, or rather lack of, donghyuk doesn’t see the waitress bouncing up to their table with a soft smile. “would you like to try our new mermaid themed cupcakes? our deal is two for five dollars.” 

 

mermaid themed cupcakes. 

 

mermaid themed. 

 

a mermaid.

 

_ ‘I prefer merman, but...yeah.’ _

 

_ ‘you sure i’m not going insane?’  _

 

_ ‘positive. what, does it look fake?’  _

 

oh yeah, donghyuk had met a mermaid--mer _ man-- _ last night. no wonder he had freakin forgotten. 

 

“sounds good,” yukhei smiles. “i’ll take two.”

 

the waitress smiled, bounding off to the counter after charging and giving yukhei his change with a loud call of something that made donghyuk freeze in his tracks. 

 

“mark! two cupcakes, please?” and donghyuk watched as a tall man who looked everything but familiar dash off into the kitchen. 

  
  


_ ‘i’m mark,” the boy says, his wet hand lingering in the younger boys. “you’re donghyuk.” _

  
  


_ ‘you’re not crazy, donghyuk, or forgetful.’ _

  
  
  


_ ‘you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.’ _

  
  


‘ _ i would want to remember my first love..” _

  
  


_ ‘you’re staring.’ _

  
  


“oh my god.” donghyuk says so suddenly that everyone at the table stops. jeno lets the ice drop back into his empty cup. yukhei takes a break from licking the dyed pink ice cream from one of his cupcakes (which, on the contrary, look nothing like an actual mermaid. donghyuk would know now that he remembers), and ten and taeyong stop playfully arguing about which sweet treat to get before they leave to turn to donghyuk, who’s frozen in place. his eyes are wide and his mouth is open slightly, his grip tight on his drink cup. 

 

“i have to go,” he says before he scrambles to stand up and climb over the couple next to him, ignoring their grumbles and taeyong’s groan when donghyuk accidently knees him in the crotch. there’s a strange feeling a deja-vú to it, except this time donghyuk is really just panicking for one reason and this reason only. not about taeil, not about that situation, not about his failed first love. just mark, only mark, the pale skinned boy he’d met at the beach who pulled him in with his beautiful, wide blue eyes and soft hand. his even toned voice and his smile and his laugh and the curve of his hip to the length of his pale blue tail that donghyuk can now remember. can remember how it glistened and twinkled in the moonlight and shown a thousand colors, iridescent, before trailing of into the midnight of the water around it. donghyuk can  _ remember,  _ mark and his kind words, and his talk about the sea and his new hate for donuts and his love for human things he finds at the bottom of the sea floor. 

 

he can remember mark’s lips, resting on his, and the quiet hand on his waist. donghyuk can remember the feeling of being safe and content and being in love with it. 

 

and with that he storms off out of the cafe and into the bustling streets in a mess of clothing and wild hair, hoping and hoping. 

 

_ ‘go to sleep, donghyuk.’ _

  
  


‘ _ i’ll be here.’ _

 

donghyuk hopes that mark keeps his word and is still there, waiting for him. 

 

\--

 

donghyuk really should’ve rethought his situation before  _ running  _ to the beach. 

 

he’s out of breath and his legs hurt, sweat forming on the base of his brow and down his neck. it’s hot, so fucking hot because it’s june and it’s summer and donghyuk doesn’t need this, but mark is still running through his head, so here he is. the beach is empty once again, and that’s how donghyuk knows he’s here. the beach is not just conveniently empty at four in the afternoon on a friday. it just doesn’t happen.

 

but the beach is empty, and even though donghyuk is tired and  _ this  _ close to coughing a lung out, he runs to the exact place he met mark last night. runs into the shore, uncaring of the water splashing against his good jeans and sits in the wet sand as the waves crash against him. and then he screams. 

 

“mark?! get over here you fucking stupid ass mermaid i swear to literal  _ god!”  _

 

he hopes that that will do the trick, so he waits. waits for mark to show up with his dazzling smile and curved teeth. waits for the warm, wet palm in his and the brush of a tail against his thigh. waits and waits until he turns to praying, praying that last night wasn’t just some big, beautiful, but crazy dream. 

 

no one shows, not until donghyuk is a blubbering, sobbing mess. he’s crying into his knees, letting his snot run down his nose and tasting the saltiness of it in his mouth. because mark’s not real, wasn’t real, was just a figment of donghyuk’s stupid imagination because he didn’t come. so now donghyuk is alone in the middle of the beach, hot sand pressing and burning against his behind as he sits soaking wet in the water. 

 

“did you miss me that much?” 

 

it’s mark, with a stupidly soft smile on his face but worry in his eyes, but donghyuk could care less. all his sees is mark and his stupid, beautiful blue tail and just launches himself into the boys arms, not caring for the increasing depth of the sea or the fact that his hair is now wet. because mark’s is too, and he looks beautiful. he’s everything donghyuk has ever seen in his dreams and more. 

 

“of course i missed you, you idiot,” donghyuk wants to kiss mark again, to pepper kisses along his long throat and see if mark is ticklish, just to see him giggle and smile again. “what happened yesterday?” 

 

“well,” mark starts, lifting up donghyuk’s head with a finger as they lay down in the rapidly growing waves of the ocean, shoulders being brushed with water. “i don’t want to forget my first love, and i just thought, if you liked me too, wouldn’t you remember me?” 

 

“after you fell asleep, i waited a few hours until my tail converted--don’t interrupt me--and then i took you back home. and i just...hoped, i guess.”

 

donghyuk was in shock. “so you took away my memory on purpose to make sure i liked you?” 

 

mark colored, spluttering. “well, don’t put it like that-”

 

“no,” donghyuk cut him off. “let’s put it like that. i like you.”

 

“you do?” 

 

donghyuk hummed. “now, what’s this about  _ converting?” _

 

it was safe to say that if mark’s eyes could get any brighter, they do, and donghyuk is okay falling in love with them.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> i really hope you enjoyed this, i tried my best!
> 
> i hope it didn't seem to rushed at the end...
> 
> as always, comments and kudos are greatly appreciated!


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